five small plate dishes served on a circular table - Alexander Spatari/Getty Images Tiny plates can cause big confusion, so we'll get right to the point -- tapas are not the same thing as appetizers.

Take a look at any modern restaurant menu and it’s clear: this isn’t your grandmother’s dining experience anymore. Especially in the dining mecca that is New Jersey, gone are the days when just soup, ...

Whether dining out, it's common to start with smaller portions of food before getting to the entrees. In fact, some of these more diminutive dishes, like mozzarella sticks, have been around since ...

When I first began entertaining, I served heavy hors d’oeuvres, such as mini corn dogs or small lamb kebabs. It was no surprise that no one was hungry for dinner. Now, I like to serve mainly vegetable ...

No offense to all those who keep themselves to three squares a day, but there's something special about the in-between meals -- the midnight ice cream snack, Sunday brunch, or french fries after a big ...

Tupelo Honey Café made a big announcement last month. The Asheville-based restaurant told customers it would be changing its menu, adding more mix-and-match options, new bar items and new, healthier ...

It's not much of a secret that Milwaukeeans like their portions big, so appetizers and small plate dining choices require our city's diners to eat outside of their comfort zone. So when La Merenda ...

The conventional course-structured restaurant meal, dating back to the advent of restaurants after the French Revolution, is taking a backseat at numerous county restaurants these days. Mirroring the ...

As the small plate fad migrates from restaurants to kitchen tables, this chic cookbook does its best to convince readers that grazing on a half dozen snacks is a novel and exciting way to eat. Perhaps ...

“Our concept is small, shareable plates,” the server says. “We recommend ordering several dishes and passing them around.” The message is so common, that anybody who insists on ordering an ...

Last year, La Merenda took the title by storm ... but was it able to hold onto the small plates crown? For the sixth straight year, October is Dining Month on OnMilwaukee.com, presented by Concordia ...